Fresh Express Recalls Bagged Spinach for Possible Salmonella

Fresh Express has issued a voluntarily recall of 2,939 cases of its 9-ounce Bag Spinach with Product Codes starting with H081 and H082, UPC Code of 7127913204, and Use-by Dates of April 6 and 7. The recall was initiated a random sample test yielded a positive result for the dangerous, and sometimes deadly, Salmonella pathogen.

Fresh Express said it is not aware of any illnesses reported in connection with its recalled spinach and notes that no other Fresh Express products are included in the recall.

Consumers who have purchased the recalled spinach product should not consume it and are urged to discard the potentially contaminated spinach and contact their retailer for a full refund. The Fresh Express Consumer Response Center can be reached, toll-free, at 1.800.242.5472, Monday through Friday, 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Pacific Time.

Consumers can find the Product Code and Use-by Date in the upper right-hand corner of the package; the UPC Code is located in the lower left area on the reverse side of the package.

Retailers are advised to remove the recalled 9 oz. Bag Spinach (Product Code starting with H081 and H082, UPC Code of 7127913204 and Use-by Dates of April 6 and 7) from store shelves and inventories. Fresh Express customer service representatives are in the process of contacting retailers to ensure this recall is executed swiftly.

The identified 9 oz. Bag Spinach was distributed to seven states with the potential for redistribution by customers to an additional seven states as follows:

Salmonella-contaminated food may not look or smell spoiled; however, consumption of food contaminated with the Salmonella bacteria may cause the Foodborne Illness known as salmonellosis. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people infected with the Food Poisoning pathogen usually experience symptoms of Salmonella poisoning beginning 12 to 72 hours after consuming a contaminated food or beverage.

Symptoms of Salmonella Poisoning include fever, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea and usually last 4 to 7 days. Most persons recover without antibiotic treatment; however, the diarrhea can be severe, and hospitalization may be required. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems may have more serious illness. In these patients, the infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites, and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. Some 40,000 cases of salmonellosis are reported annually in the U.S.